JP2009181933A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To avoid complication of a structure while preventing looseness between both housings, and prevent increase of insertion-coupling operation force. <P>SOLUTION: A second housing 20 includes a housing body 21 capable of insertion-coupling inside a hood part 11 of a first housing 10, and an insertion-coupling tube part 22 erected from an outer face of the housing body 21 to surround that 21 and forming an assembly space 30 of the hood part 11 against the housing body 21. In case the second housing 20 is in a state insertion-coupled with the first housing 10, when an electric wire cover 60 is attached to the second housing 20, a projection part 61 of the wire cover 60 is plunged between the hood part 11 and the insertion-coupling tube part 22 so as to enable to push the hood part 11 onto a housing body 21 side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

The connector described in Patent Document 1 includes a first housing and a second housing that can be fitted to each other. The first housing has a cylindrical hood portion, and the second housing has a housing body, and has a fitting cylinder portion that rises from the outer surface of the housing body and surrounds the housing body. A space between the fitting cylinder portion and the housing main body is an assembly space for the hood portion into which the hood portion enters as the two housings are fitted. A base is raised on the outer surface of the hood, and a locked portion is formed on the upper end of the base. A locking part can be mounted on the inner surface of the fitting cylinder part across the left and right. After the two housings are fitted, when the locking part is advanced and engaged with the locked part, the locked part is sandwiched in the recess of the locking part. As a result, both housings are locked in a state where they are packed together in the fitting direction, so that wear of the contact portions of the male and female terminal fittings is prevented.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-5037 (FIG. 12)

In the above case, since the locking portion is a dedicated member for filling, there is a situation that the configuration is complicated and the part management is troublesome.
On the other hand, conventionally, a plurality of protrusions for padding are provided on either the inner surface of the hood portion or the outer surface of the housing body, and when the two housings are fitted, between the inner surface of the hood portion and the outer surface of the housing body. There is also known a method of suppressing rattling of both housings in a fitted state by setting so as to crush each protrusion. According to this, the structure is not particularly complicated, but each projection is crushed during the fitting of the two housings, which causes an increase in fitting operation force.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and prevents rattling between both housings, avoids complication of the configuration, and prevents an increase in fitting operation force. For the purpose.

  As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 includes a first housing having a hood portion, a housing main body that can be fitted in the hood portion, and rising from an outer surface of the housing main body. A second housing having a fitting tube portion surrounding the housing body and forming an assembly space for the hood portion between the housing body and the housing; And a connector mounting member that has a protrusion that penetrates through the tube portion and enters the assembly space, and that provides a predetermined function to the second housing, and the first housing and the second housing are fitted together. When the connector attachment member is attached to the second housing in the combined state, the protrusion is between the hood portion and the fitting tube portion. Rush to have a characteristic the hood portion at where the structure has become possible pressed against the housing body.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the connector member according to the first aspect is characterized in that the connector member is an electric wire cover forcing the electric wire led out from the rear surface of the housing body in a predetermined direction.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, an elastic seal member is interposed between the housing main body and the hood portion, and the seal member is the hood portion of the protrusion. It is characterized in that it is provided at a position opposite to the pressing direction.

<Invention of Claim 1>
When the first housing and the second housing are in a fitted state, when the connector mounting member is attached to the second housing, the protrusion protrudes between the hood portion and the fitting cylinder portion, and the hood portion is moved to the housing main body. Since it can be pressed to the side, rattling between the hood portion and the housing body can be suppressed. In addition, the connector mounting member is not a dedicated member for packing, but has the function of giving a predetermined function to the second housing, so that the number of parts can be reduced and the configuration becomes complicated. Can be avoided. Furthermore, since the connector attachment member can be attached after the two housings are fitted together, it is possible to prevent the fitting operation force from increasing without affecting the fitting operation of the two housings.

<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the connector member is an electric wire cover, the direction of the electric wire is forced along with the attachment of the connector member to the second housing, and at the same time, rattling between the two housings is prevented, resulting in excellent work efficiency.

<Invention of Claim 3>
An elastic seal member is inserted between the housing main body and the hood portion, and this seal member is provided at a position opposite to the pressing direction of the protrusion to the hood portion. When the protrusion enters between the two, the hood part can move to the housing body side while elastically shrinking the seal member. Therefore, the pressing force by the protrusion is absorbed by the compression of the seal member, the force required for mounting the connector mounting member is reduced, and workability is improved.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector of the present embodiment includes a first housing 10 and a second housing 20 that can be fitted to each other, and a separate wire cover 60 is attached to the second housing 20. The first housing 10, the second housing 20, and the electric wire cover 60 are all made of synthetic resin. In the following description, the front and rear direction is based on the fitting surface side of both housings 10 and 20, and the vertical direction is based on each figure.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first housing 10 is a male connector housing to which a male terminal fitting 90 can be attached, and has a cylindrical hood portion 11. A tab 91 of the male terminal fitting 90 is disposed in the hood portion 11 in a protruding state. A lock projection 12 is provided on the top end of the upper wall of the hood 11.

  The second housing 20 includes a block-shaped housing main body 21 elongated in the front-rear direction and a cylindrical fitting cylinder portion 22 located outside the housing main body 21. The fitting cylinder portion 22 includes a connecting portion 22a that rises outward from the outer surface of the housing main body 21, and an enclosure portion 22b that surrounds the housing main body 21 and continues to the outer end of the connecting portion 22a. A space 30 between the fitting cylinder portion 22 and the housing body 21 is an assembly space 30 of the hood portion 11 into which the hood portion 11 enters from the front as the housings 10 and 20 are fitted.

  A bulging portion 23 is provided below the fitting cylinder portion 22 so that the lower side of the connecting portion 22a extends downward and the surrounding portion 22b bulges downward. An attachment hole 24 through which a protrusion 61 (described later) of the electric wire cover 60 can be inserted is formed below the connecting portion 22a in the front-rear direction. The rear surface of the mounting hole 24 opens to the rear surface of the connecting portion 22a, and the front surface of the mounting hole 24 opens to the front surface of the connecting portion 22a so as to face the assembly space 30 in the bulging portion 23.

  A cavity 25 into which the female terminal fitting 80 can be inserted is formed in the housing body 21 so as to penetrate in the front-rear direction. A lance 26 for preventing the female terminal fitting 80 from coming off is provided on the lower wall of the cavity 25 so that it can be bent. Further, a front retainer 70 is assembled to the housing body 21 from the front, the front of the locking projection 26 a of the lance 26 is covered with the front retainer 70, and a bending restricting piece 71 of the front retainer 70 is formed in the bending space of the lance 26. The bending movement of the lance 26 is restricted by entering the female terminal fitting 80 so that the female terminal fitting 80 is double-locked.

  A step 27 is provided on the outer surface of the housing main body 21, and the front region with the step 27 as a boundary is one step lower than the rear region. An elastic seal ring 75 is fitted on the outer surface of the housing body 21 immediately before the step 27 and immediately after the front retainer 70. The lower region of the seal ring 75 is disposed so as to face the assembly space 30 in the bulging portion 23, and the upper region of the seal ring 75 is an engaging portion between the lock projection 12 and the lock arm 28 (described later). It is arranged to face. When the two housings 10 and 20 are in the fitted state, the seal ring 75 is brought into close contact with the inner surface of the hood portion 11 and the outer surface of the housing main body 21, thereby sealing between the housings 10 and 20 in a watertight manner. It is like that.

  Here, the female terminal fitting 80 is a known form having a box portion 81 on the front side and a barrel portion 82 on the rear side, and the barrel portion 82 is connected to the end of the electric wire 100 by caulking. An elastic contact piece 83 that can come into contact with the tab 91 of the male terminal fitting 90 is provided in the box portion 81 so as to be able to bend. A seal plug 77 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire 100, and the seal plug 77 is held by the female terminal fitting 80 by caulking the barrel portion 82. The outer peripheral surface of the seal plug 77 is brought into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cavity 25 by insertion of the female terminal fitting 80 into the cavity 25, whereby the inside of the second housing 20 is sealed in a watertight manner. Yes.

  On the upper surface of the housing body 21 (the side opposite to the side on which the bulging portion 23 is formed), there is a lock arm 28 that can be locked with the lock projection 12 as both housings 10 and 20 are properly fitted. Is provided. The lock arm 28 includes a leg portion 28a that rises from the upper surface of the housing main body 21, and an arm main body portion 28b that extends in the front-rear direction from the upper end of the leg portion 28a. It is swingable and displaceable (elastically displaceable) in a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction of the housings 10 and 20. The leg portion 28a and the connecting portion 22a are installed at substantially the same position in the front-rear direction. The arm main body 28b is provided with a lock groove 28e extending in the front-rear direction and opening at the rear end. A cutout portion 22e that exposes the lock arm 28 is formed at the rear portion of the surrounding portion 22b so as to be opposed to the upper portion of the lock arm 28. When the lock projection 12 and the lock arm 28 are in the locked state, a finger is applied to the rear end portion of the arm main body 28b through the notch 22e, and the lock projection 12 is pressed downward in this state. Thus, the locked state of the lock arm 28 is released.

  The electric wire cover 60 defines the direction of the electric wire 100 led out from the rear surface of the housing body 21 in a predetermined direction (downward in the case of illustration), and has a cap shape as a whole. And, as shown in FIG. 2, the electric wire cover 60 is in a position facing the rear surface of the housing body 21 with a space therebetween, and a vertical wall-shaped electric wire holding portion 61 that forcibly bends the electric wire 100 downward, The mounting portion 62 protrudes forward from the side edge of the wire pressing portion 61 and can be elastically locked to the second housing 20, and the protruding portion 61 protrudes forward from the lower edge of the wire pressing portion 61. The protruding portion 61 has a longer protruding length than the mounting portion 62, and the front end of the protruding portion 61 is positioned forward of the front end of the mounting portion 62. The protrusion 61 is inserted from the rear into the mounting hole 24 of the second housing 20 when both the housings 10 and 20 are in the fitted state, and further enters the assembly space 30 in the bulging portion 23. The outer surface of the hood portion 11 and the inner surface of the fitting cylinder portion 22 (the bulging portion 23) can be brought into contact with each other.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
First, the seal ring 75 and the front retainer 70 are assembled to the second housing 20. Then, the female terminal fitting 80 with the electric wire 100 fitted with the sealing plug 77 is inserted into the cavity 25 of the second housing 20, and the inside of the cavity 25 is made watertight by the sealing plug 77.

  Subsequently, the second housing 20 is directly opposed to the first housing 10, and the housing body 21 of the second housing 20 is inserted and fitted into the hood portion 11 of the first housing 10 in this state. When the housing main body 21 reaches a position where it comes into contact with the back surface of the hood portion 11, the lock projection 12 is elastically fitted into the lock groove 28e of the lock arm 28, and both the housings 10 and 20 are held in the disengagement restricted state. When the two housings 10 and 20 are properly fitted in this way, the male terminal fitting 90 of the first housing 10 and the female terminal fitting 80 of the second housing 20 are connected at a regular depth, and between the two terminal fittings 80 and 90. The continuity is taken. Further, the seal ring 75 is inserted between the hood portion 11 and the housing main body 21 in an elastic state, whereby the space between the housings 10 and 20 is made watertight.

  In the above state, the wire cover 60 is attached to the second housing 20 from the rear. As shown in FIG. 2, as the electric wire cover 60 is attached, the electric wire 100 is bent downward by the electric wire holding portion 61, and the protrusion 61 enters the assembly space 30 through the attachment hole 24. Enters into the space between the hood portion 11 and the fitting cylinder portion 22 (the bulging portion 23). Then, between the housing main body 21 and the fitting cylinder part 22 (bulging part 23), the seal ring 75, the hood part 11, and the protrusion 61 are in the vertical direction (the direction orthogonal to the fitting direction of both the housings 10 and 20). ) In a stacked state. Further, the gap between the hood part 11 and the fitting cylinder part 22 (the bulging part 23) is expanded by the thickness of the protrusion 61, and the hood part 11 is pressed against the housing body 21 side. In this case, the amount of displacement of the hood portion 11 is absorbed as the amount of elasticity of the seal ring 75. Then, the hood portion 11 is brought into close contact with the front retainer 70 and the seal ring 75 from the outside by being pressed against the housing main body 21 side, so that the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are in the vertical direction (the fitting of both the housings 10, 20 is It is possible to suppress rattling in a direction orthogonal to the alignment direction.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, as the electric wire cover 60 is attached to the second housing 20, rattling between the housings 10, 20 is suppressed. The number of parts can be reduced and the configuration of the connector can be simplified as compared with the case where the packing member is provided. Further, since the electric wire cover 60 is attached after the two housings 10 and 20 are fitted, the fitting operation between the two housings 10 and 20 is not affected. Unlike the case of providing the projections for use, the fitting operation force between the housings 10 and 20 does not increase. And by attaching the electric wire cover 60, the direction regulation of the electric wire 100 and the prevention of rattling between the two housings 10 and 20 can be achieved at once, so that the work efficiency is excellent.

  Further, since the seal ring 75 is inserted between the housing main body 21 and the hood portion 11 and this seal ring 75 is provided at a position facing the pressing direction of the protrusion 61 against the hood portion 11, the hood portion When 11 is pressed against the housing body 21, the pressing force by the protrusion 61 is absorbed by the seal ring 75. Therefore, the force required for attaching the electric wire cover 60 is reduced and workability is improved. Further, it is not necessary to perform strict gap management between the housing main body 21 and the fitting cylinder portion 22.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.
(1) The member having the protrusion is not limited to the electric wire cover, but is a function other than a predetermined function (preventing rattling prevention) in the second housing, for example, a function related to the connector fitting operation, Any function may be used as long as it provides a function related to holding of the terminal fitting and a function related to waterproofness of the connector. For example, when the collective seal plug is brought into close contact with the rear surface of the housing body, the seal plug presser that prevents the seal plug from being removed may have a protrusion. Moreover, the retainer which is assembled to the housing body and prevents the terminal fitting from coming off may have a protrusion. Furthermore, the fitting detection member which detects whether both housings are in a regular fitting state may have a protrusion.
(2) The present invention can also be applied to a non-waterproof type connector.

Side sectional view of the connector of Embodiment 1 of the present invention Side sectional view of both housings before mating

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... 1st housing 11 ... Hood part 20 ... 2nd housing 21 ... Housing main body 22 ... Fitting cylinder part 24 ... Mounting hole 30 ... Assembly space 60 ... Electric wire cover 61 ... Protrusion 75 ... Seal ring (seal member)

Claims (3)

A first housing having a hood portion;
A fitting that has a housing body that can be fitted in the hood portion, rises from the outer surface of the housing body, surrounds the housing body, and forms an assembly space for the hood portion with the housing body. A second housing having a tubular portion;
A connector mounting member attached to the second housing, and having a protrusion that penetrates the fitting tube portion and enters the assembly space along with the mounting, and gives a predetermined function to the second housing; With
When the first housing and the second housing are in a fitted state, when the connector mounting member is attached to the second housing, the protruding portion enters between the hood portion and the fitting cylindrical portion. The hood portion can be pressed against the housing main body.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector member is an electric wire cover that forces an electric wire led out from a rear surface of the housing body in a predetermined direction.   An elastic seal member is interposed between the housing main body and the hood portion, and the seal member is provided at a position opposite to the pressing direction of the protrusion against the hood portion. The connector described.

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